American Eagle Times Square now accepts Google Wallet

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American Eagle Times Square now accepts Google Wallet

American Eagle Outfitters have announced that they now accept Google Wallet NFC payments in “selected” American Eagle Outfitters, Aerie and 77kids stores in the Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington D.C., and New York areas. American Eagle is also offering 15% off all purchases made using Google Wallet

To acclimate consumers to Google Wallet, American Eagle is hosting what it calls a “Tapping Spree” at its Times Square flagship until October 31st. Google brand ambassadors and trained AEO sales associates will guide customers through the experience of using Google Wallet on Sprint Nexus S 4G loaner phones. Phones will be pre-loaded with a $10 gift card, and customers will find additional “surprise offers” throughout the store. It looks like an American Eagle shopping spree with heavily discounted prices is on Google this month to encourage consumers to get a Google Wallet.

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Nokia 603 Symbian Belle NFC phone gets official

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Nokia 603 Symbian Belle NFC phone gets official

Nokia has officially unleashed the Nokia 603 Symbian Belle NFC phone. Last week we reported the rumored specifications and images, but Nokia has now unveiled the Nokia 603 which is coming in at a very affordable price point of around $274 or 200 Euro. Nokia are once again focusing on NFC capabilities built straight into the Nokia 603. Nokia said in its press release that “The Nokia 603 is designed to appeal to first time smartphone users and those upgrading from older products, particularly existing users of Nokia smartphones who will welcome a device that offers all the latest technology and features in a package that is still uniquely Nokia.”

“The Nokia 603 continues the renewal of our smartphone range with products that are uniquely matched to the needs of people around the world,” said Tuula Rytila, Senior Vice President of Nokia. “Whatever the price-point, our aim is to ensure all Nokia smartphones are crafted for use, have Nokia’s trusted quality, are better connected, and contain unexpected surprises like the ability to tap to pair and share with NFC.”

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Citi attacks Isis gatekeeper business model

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Citi attacks Isis gatekeeper business model Citi has strongly criticized the Isis joint venture at a packed BAI Delivery session on mobile payments. Isis hasn’t even launched yet and if you visit NFC Rumors often you will probably already know we are not enthralled at the prospect of an artificially created marketplace where Isis founders Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile control the [...]

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Forumtel enables NFC service with SIM overlay solutions

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Forumtel enables NFC service with SIM overlay solutions NFC is coming to MVNOs. Forum Mobile announced today that Forumtel, its US MVNO in the travel industry, has signed an exclusive worldwide distribution agreement with Taisys, who is a provider of SIM overlay technology and related applications. Utilizing the overlay SIM – the SIM5G, the new [...]

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Isis plans service called PROXI to sell coupons, discounts, advertisements

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Isis plans service called PROXI to sell coupons, discounts, advertisements through an incentive awards program – NFC Rumors Exclusive

We have had a tip from inside Isis, that alludes to the fact that Isis is planning to set up a service under a different brand name “PROXI” to sell coupons, discounts, advertisements through an incentive awards program. After getting this tip, we did a little digging and found out that Isis’ umbrella company, JVL Ventures, LLC, registered the trademark back in February of last year and extended the trademark in July of this year. The trademark needs to be extended every six months until it is used. The filing for the PROXI trademark was filed under the sections of Advertising, Business & Retail Services with the United States Patents and Trademarks Office.

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Tyfone launches iCashe NFC mobile wallet with mobile banking

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Tyfone launches iCashe NFC mobile wallet with mobile banking

There’s a new NFC mobile wallet in town called iCashe. This one comes from Tyfone and includes mobile banking. Today the wallet wars heat up a little more as mobile banking is collided with NFC payments. iCashe is a mobile wallet and eCommerce engine that is said to enable mobile banking applications. Built on top of Tyfone’s u4ia mobile financial services platform, iCashe slaps together mobile banking features with NFC payments, gifting and loyalty programs. Tyfone has made its new iCashe mobile wallet compatible with the company’s SideTap microSD secure element technology, iCashe also provides contactless NFC payments and secure identity management.

“While financial institutions recognize the need to provide mobile banking, the watch and wait approach many have taken towards mobile wallet services sets the stage for disintermediation by others including Google and ISIS,” said Andy Schmidt, Research Director at TowerGroup, a Corporate Executive Board company. “Combining mobile wallet with mobile banking gives banks – and merchants – the opportunity to avoid this disintermediation.”

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Samsung Nexus Prime could be unveiled October 19th

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Samsung Nexus Prime could be unveiled October 19th We were all disappointed at the end of last week when Samsung and Google put off the launch event for the Samsung Nexus Prime and Android Ice Cream Sandwich. We heard from a Samsung executive yesterday that the device would be launching faster than we think, which is highly unlikely as we thought it [...]

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Canadians not enthused by the thought of using Google Wallet or NFC payments

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Canadians not enthused by the thought of using Google Wallet or NFC payments It turns out Canadians are still not convinced about using Google Wallet or NFC payments in general. In a poll conducted on behalf of ITBusiness.ca Canadians generally elicited a lukewarm response to using Google Wallet or other NFC payments services and showed a distinct interest in [...]

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Galaxy Nexus / Samsung Nexus Prime “coming sooner than you think”

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Samsung Galaxy Nexus / Samsung Nexus Prime “coming sooner than you think” We still don’t know whether it will be called the Samsung Nexus Prime or the Samsung Galaxy Nexus or even the Samsung Droid Prime on Verizon’s network. We don’t even know when it is officially going to be released but what we do know is [...]

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Has the real reason for NFC Samsung Galaxy Nexus delay emerged?

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Has the real reason for NFC Samsung Galaxy Nexus delay emerged?

Google and Samsung issued a joint statement informing members of the press that they were delaying the announcement of what is widely expected to be the Samsung Galaxy Nexus / Samsung Nexus Prime and the latest and greatest Android OS Ice Cream Sandwich. “Samsung and Google have decided to postpone the Samsung Mobile Unpacked event during the CTIA in San Diego, previously scheduled for Oct. 11,” The two companies canceled their “Unpacked” event and no further date has since been made public for the much anticipated launch.

Reason for delay was Samsung Galaxy Nexus patent problems and not the passing of Steve Jobs

In the statement released by both Samsung and Google, the reason for canceling the expected NFC Samsung Galaxy Nexus / Samsung Nexus Prime was stated as, “Under the current circumstances, both parties have agreed that this is not the appropriate time for the announcement of a new product.”

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Visa Europe to launch Visa Wallet for NFC payments in August 2012

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Visa Europe to launch Visa Wallet for NFC payments in August 2012

Visa announced that its NFC payments Visa Wallet would be coming this fall in the United States, but it now appears that Visa Europe won’t roll out its version until either August or September 2012. Steve Perry, Commercial Director for Visa Europe, confirmed the deployment of Europe’s Visa Wallet at the European security summit in Frankfurt. Details are thin on the ground at the moment about Visa’s European Visa Wallet, but Perry did share some interesting tidbits that shed light on how Visa intends to take a different approach than what might have been expected of the company when it comes to NFC payments and its Visa Wallet offering that we may well see built into the American version.

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Checking into hospital will never be the same with PatientID+ and NFC

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Checking into hospital will never be the same with PatientID+ and NFC

PatientID+ could change your visits to doctors’ offices and hospitals forever. Merchant360, Health Portal Solutions and CliniCard have come together to develop an NFC solution for checking into and paying for services at a hospital or on a doctor visit called PatientID+. The system stores identification, health insurance details, eligibility screening and payments details all in an NFC app on a patient’s NFC phone, or alternatively within an NFC sticker. So no more filling out forms, no more waiting to be seen until you have your paperwork in order and no more worrying about paying for services at critical times when health is more important that sorting out who you are and how you are going to pay. The healthcare sector is seeing some of the most innovative deployments of NFC technology and systems that can bring real practical use cases that lead to better care and PatientID+ is no exception.

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CSI globalVCard app launches for iOS and BlackBerry, NFC to come later

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CSI globalVCard app launches with support for its business virtual credit card app on iOS and BlackBerry devices, NFC to come later

Last month CSI Enterprises launched their CSI globalVCard virtual business credit card app for Android. This month the company is adding support for iOS and BlackBerry devices while promising NFC payments capabilities in a future update. Virtual credit cards are set to become a security product that allows both businesses and consumers to protect their real banking details as they create and use virtual cards which act as smaller sub accounts that users transfer money into and then use that account exclusively in NFC mobile wallets such as Google Wallet. However, for businesses, an application like the CSI globalVCard allows them to put money on employees’ virtual cards that businesses create for trackable expenses. The CSI globalVCard app for iPhones and iPads is already available in the app store, and CSI is promising that the BlackBerry app will be available by the end of October. At this time the CSI globalVCard app is not NFC enabled and the company has stated that this will change in a future update that will add PayPass support for NFC payments.

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Peet’s Coffee accepts MasterCard PayPass Google Wallet NFC payments

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Peet’s Coffee accepts MasterCard PayPass Google Wallet NFC payments Add another location where you can use Google Wallet. Peet’s Coffee & Tea announces that all of its stores will accept the MasterCard PayPass payments by the end of October. It has been a little slower than many folks had hoped for but Google Wallet is [...]

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We are going to have to wait longer for the NFC Samsung Galaxy Nexus

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We are going to have to wait longer for the NFC Samsung Galaxy Nexus

Samsung and Google have announced that they need to put back their announcement that was widely considered to launch the Samsung Galaxy Nexus NFC phone and Ice Cream Sandwich. We, like many of our readers, were very excited to see the Samsung Galaxy Nexus details tomorrow, but Google and Samsung have decided that it is not the appropriate time to make the announcement. We are not sure whether that refers to Steve Jobs passing away or a reason that is yet unclear.

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Samsung Galaxy S III specs & blurry image leaks NFC onboard

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Samsung Galaxy S III specs leak NFC onboard

It had to happen and now it has – we have had our first peek at the Samsung Galaxy S III smartphone and the good news is that it will have NFC onboard from the get go. An anonymous tipster send the golden photograph over to the Phandroid team that supposedly shows a photograph of a presentation screen showing the Samsung Galaxy S III specifications and a few small images of the next iteration of this legendary family of phones. That image was supposedly shown to mobile network operators and large retail buyers. Before we all get too excited about this photograph, we should remember that this photograph was anonymously sent and has not been ratified in anyway. In fact, there are spelling mistakes all over the slide which may suggest it is not authentic. But without being able to confirm or deny this we suggest you take it with a pinch of salt until further details emerge. Okay, that’s the disclaimer and now feel free to get excited and imagine the Samsung Galaxy S III adorning your pocket. So, what are the Samsung Galaxy S III NFC phone specifications that have been leaked?

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MasterCard hits Twitter to answer your questions on NFC payments

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MasterCard hits Twitter to answer your questions on NFC payments MasterCard is hosting an NFC payments Q & A session on Twitter next week. We try to answer your NFC questions on NFC Rumors on a daily basis. But sometimes if you have the opportunity, it’s best to go straight to the source, and next [...]

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NFC Rumors update

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NFC Rumors update NFC Rumors readers, you finally did it. We were going about our normal day here on the blog on Friday and the amount of visitors we received finally killed our old server. All we could do is watch our old server die not so gracefully as over 2000 of you were requesting pages [...]

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BlackBerry NFC may have been fixed BlackBerry Tag coming

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BlackBerry NFC may have been fixed as RIM announces that BlackBerry Tag coming

Research in Motion has announced that BlackBerry Tag, an app for NFC tap-to-share functionalities. It is going to be released in an upcoming OS 7 update. BlackBerry Tag takes advantage of Near Field Communications (NFC) technology included in the recently launched BlackBerry Bold 9900 & 9930 and the BlackBerry Curve 9350/9360/9370 smartphones. BlackBerry NFC phones that support BlackBerry Tag will soon have the ability to allow users to share contact information, documents, URLs, photos and other multimedia.

Until now, NFC has been turned off in BlackBerry phones at the mobile network operator level in many parts of the world. Even with today’s announcement RIM adds that BlackBerry Tag is subject to network operator certifications. The firm also says that users should check with their local operator for availability. That may appear to be a simple statement, but as ever there is a story behind the story, and we exclusively have the skinny, so keep reading.

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Samsung Nexus Prime / Samsung Galaxy Nexus video leaked

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Samsung Nexus Prime / Samsung Galaxy Nexus video leaked

The NFC phone that was codenamed Samsung Nexus Prime and has recently been dubbed the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. We have heard a lot of specifications during leaks and we have heard a lot of rumors, but what we haven’t had is a visual image of the Samsung Nexus Prime until now. A Romanian website called Gadget.ro has posted an image and video of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus.

A video featuring the Samsung Nexus Prime / Samsung Galaxy Nexus has leaked

To be frank, it is amazing that the Samsung Nexus Prime / Samsung Galaxy Nexus hasn’t had images or photos leak up until this point. But days before the official launch when Samsung will unveil the Samsung Galaxy Nexus or Nexus Prime, a video has surfaced.

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T-Mobile will have NFC turned on in Samsung Galaxy S II NFC Rumors Exclusive

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T-Mobile will have NFC turned on in Samsung Galaxy S II NFC Rumors Exclusive

We have received exclusive information from a reliable source that suggests that the T-Mobile variant of the Samsung Galaxy S II will have its NFC turned on. This is great news for consumers and NFC in general, that there will be yet another NFC super phone available in the US. There were some doubts as to whether T-Mobile would enable NFC in the Samsung Galaxy S II after the company disabled NFC in the BlackBerry line up and AT&T turned off NFC on its Samsung Galaxy S II variant. We already gave an exclusive a week or so ago that T-Mobile is planning on bringing at least five and up to eight new NFC smartphones to market this year. Now we know that the Samsung Galaxy S II will rock NFC as it was intended to. Although both AT&T and T-Mobile are part of Isis, it appears that T-Mobile is taking a very different approach to NFC than AT&T, which we must say that we are relieved to see. However, that could be short lived if AT&T gets its way and is able to acquire T-Mobile. We won’t be keen on Isis while its model is based around control as it is, but credit where credit is due in regards to the Samsung Galaxy S II and NFC T-Mobile is doing the right thing for its customers.

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Mediabrands exec jumps ship and joins NFC marketing startup Tapit

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Mediabrands exec jumps ship and joins NFC marketing startup Tapit

Wow, is it that time of the week again when when Tapit makes another announcement of growth or a funky NFC marketing campaign? Really, it feels like just yesterday that we last received some news from the Australian firm telling us about their green NFC marketing campaign that, as far as we know, was another global first. Today, however, the firm has snagged a new recruit for its team that comes in the shape and form of Andrew Davis who is going to be Tapit’s Agency Director. Davis is former Digital Director of Initiative where he had overall responsibility for Initiative’s digital product and worked across major clients including Hyundai, KIA, Revlon, Bunnings, Rabo Bank and Office Works. Prior to this he was Client Service Manager on the Microsoft Account for 3 years at Universal McCann, so we guess he is pretty good at setting customer expectations.

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AT&T hits out at Verizon iPhone 4S and other NFC Rumors Exclusives

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AT&T hits out at Verizon iPhone 4S and other Ma’ Bell NFC Rumors Exclusives

We have learned that AT&T intends to start a marketing war with Verizon surrounding the iPhone 4S. Our sources close to the matter assure us that AT&T is readying ads that communicate that all iPhones are not created equal, and that their iPhone 4S will have faster data speeds than the Verizon iPhone 4S. It isn’t that the two companies haven’t gone head to head before in marketing wars, but neither have they been in cahoots before with Isis. This latest bout of sparring will no doubt create a tense atmosphere in Isis NFC payment meetings as Verizon fights back for market share. We have another post on Verizon coming up later today, so look out for that.

AT&T’s reason for shutting off NFC in phones including the Samsung Galaxy S II

If you read NFC Rumors on a regular basis you will know we keep our eyes firmly fixed on Isis mobile network operators as we feel they are doing consumers and the NFC technology a disservice in the way they are conducting themselves.

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Osama Bedier to talk Google Wallet in 4G World NFC Summit Keynote

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Osama Bedier to talk Google Wallet in 4G World Keynote 4G World is coming up fast now and the organizers have now confirmed that Osama Bedier will be delivering the keynote at its NFC Summit. Hot on the heels of Google Wallet officially launching, hackers enabling all Nexus S users to use Google Wallet and [...]

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Samsung Galaxy Nexus “Nexus Prime” NFC phone specs outed

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Samsung Galaxy Nexus “Nexus Prime” NFC phone specs outed

We finally have the near full specs for the NFC Nexus Prime, or what we have now learned is to be called the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, and they are a little lower than we would have liked, but still very impressive. BGR got this scoop this morning and now we finally have a near complete picture of what we should expect from the latest and greatest pure Google experience NFC phone. The great news is the Samsung Galaxy Nexus doesn’t have a 4.5-inch display; it is actually going to ship with a colossal 4.65-inch 1280 x 720-pixel Super AMOLED HD with curved glass. We saw the teaser the other day that suggested that the Samsung Galaxy Nexus would have a curved glass screen, but we certainly didn’t know it would stretch our an extra 0.15 inches which puts it in a class leader position.

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